Process for producing fuel from peat by means of the electric current.



iinrrn STATES ra'rsnr orr o.

l JOSEPH BYRON BESSEY,'OF LONDON, ENGLAND. PROCESS FOR Pnouucmerusi FRO M PEAT BY MEANS or THE ELECTRIC CURRENT.

tween the poles of an electric circuit, so thlilzt T e the circuit isclosed b the' mass. known processes of this 'nd frequently depend on the" electrothermic action of the electric current. They thus either intend to I 5 evaporate the water contained in the peat by the heating eifectpf the electric current or to carbonize even the peat by the same heating effect of the current. For these processes it is of course of no importanceif the current employed be continuous or alternating, as

only the heati g efl'ect'is of importance. Naturally, however, these processes will be very expensive, owing to'the strength of the current required and the length of time it has to work. Furthermoraeven if only the water is to be removed the peat is always heated above 100 centigrade(212 Fahrenheit;) but at this temperature already the valuable component parts of the peat commence 3 to be decomposed. The fuel thus loses of heating value, 'and above all the organic agglutinants contained in the peat are lost partly, so that a selfshardening of the thus-. treated peat cannot or at'least only very imperfectly take place, and a strong compression becomes necessary to produce solid eatcoal or peat briquets. A second st He of treating raw peat by means of the e ectric current consists in the physical henomenon 4 calledelectro-osmosisviz.,t emigration of particles of liquids, owing to the influence of the electric current or in the electrolytical disintegration of water, respectively. For this kind of process of course the use of continuous current is the main condition, as alternating current cannot effect at all electroosmosis and electrolysis. Besides the fact that continuous current is expensive in use in this kind of process the peat also is partly decomposed in its or amc components.

Above all, the organic agg utinants contained in the peat are disintegrated, owing to the electrolysis, which will always come to efiect when continuous current is applied. There- 5 5 fore, it is necessary when using these processes to compress the peat after the electric Specification of Letters Patent.

- A iaiaon filed October 6,1905; Serial No. 281,530.

Patented April 17, 1906-.

treatment in order to obtain solid piecesor briuets. he present invention has the purpose to obtain in a. cheap manner a dry peat-coal which will offer without any compression merely by self-hardening a fuel of high value ing to the invention this purpose is obtained by the combination of, first, employing such current as will avoid electrochemical disintegration'of the organic agglutinantsrviz., alternating currentand, second, by regulat ing this current in its action in such a manner that no heating up.t0 100 centigrade (212 Fahrenheit) in the stuff will take place. In this way any decomposition of the organic agglutinants is avoided. The consequence is that peat treated in such a mannerv and after the water freed by the electric current has been removed will harden by itself in the air, contracting at the same time, so that no uet-like ieces. q The vol ing current sent throu h length of time during which the current must act, depends on the amount of solid parts contained in the peat. The process has been found to be very easily. and cheaply carried out when an alternatin current of two hundred volts and twelve undred amperes per ton of solid-parts contained in the raw peat is employedfor two periods of each five minutes, whereat the water freed by the efiect of the electric current is mechanically removed after each period of treatment. During its action the current is regulated in such a manner that a heating of the peatabove 100 centigrade (212 Fahrenheit) is avoided.

The whole process thus for producing a solid fuel from peat according to the present invention is, for instance, as follows: The raw freshly-cut peat is freed in presses, centrifuges, or similar'appliances from the water mechanically contained in it and then placed between the poles of an alternating-current circuit. Now an alternating-current of two hundred volts and twelve hundred amperes per ton of solid material contained in the peat is sent through the peat for five minutes. The hereby-freed water is instantly removed a ain by presses, centrifuges, or the like. N ow again an alternating current ofcorres onding volta e and strength is sent through t e eat for t e same length of time, and

and capable of being transported. Accord tage and strength of-the alternat the peat, also the the ereby-freed water is again mechanic-- compression is required to obtain solid brially removed. When stored in the air after mixing in a kneading ap aratus or the like,

the thus-treated peat wil harden b itself, shrinking considerably and form a so id coal-- like fuel of high heatin value, owing to the fact that the organic ag lutinants liberated by the influence of the a ternative current are distributed in an undisintegrated condition throughout the peat mass.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is i Process for producing a fuel from peat by means of the electric current, consisting in exposing the peat, previously freed from water by mechanical means, to the effect of an 1 alternating current oftwo hundred volts and twelve hundred amperes per ton of solid macentigradeis avoided, and removing the Water freed by the action of the alternating current after each charge of electricity.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing Wit- F. L. RAND. 

